A women’s lobby group has urged the Ministries of Labour and Foreign Affairs to shut down rogue agencies recruiting Kenyans for overseas jobs, where many ended up facing forced labour and mistreatment.
The call by the Mama Kenya Movement follows the horrific ordeal of 21-year-old Emma Dzame, who travelled to Lebanon in February 2024 and returned to Kenya on July 28, 2025. Her employer reportedly punished her for failure to take care of snakes.
Following the ordeal, Dzame came back mentally disturbed and was later found in Shimanzi, Mombasa, mimicking snakes in a distressed state. Fortunately, she had her travel documents with her.
“She was assisted by an elderly woman in the house and managed to escape with nothing. She was rescued by one of our members wandering in warehouses,” said Mama Kenya Movement Chairperson Amina Ridhwani
With the help of the National Government Administrative Officers, the Mama Kenya Movement reunited Dzame with her family in Matano Mane village, Kilifi County. She is currently receiving counseling at a safe house in Mombasa.
In May, Amnesty International released a report titled “Locked In, Left Out: The Hidden Lives of Kenyan Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia.”
The report documents the experiences of more than 70 Kenyan women who worked as domestic workers in the Gulf nation, many of whom endured grueling, abusive, and discriminatory conditions.
Most of the women said they were deceived by recruiters, forced to work under harsh conditions, denied rest days, and prevented from leaving their employers’ homes.
Ridhwani said the organization has received numerous reports of Kenyan domestic workers facing abuse abroad, stressing the need for decisive action to curb rogue agencies.
“Some get lost. As parents, it pains us. Why do you recruit a child to do a job that was not on the contract? ” she asked, urging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to put in place measures to follow up on where the domestic employees work.
The movement is now calling for the creation of a database to help trace Kenyans employed abroad, especially amid rising concerns about forced labour and even organ trafficking.
“Before someone travels, they should provide their details, and the agencies should have sureties. Children are being treated as goats in the camps after arrival in the foreign nation, waiting to be auctioned,” she decried.
The organisation has also pledged to trace returnees, offer counselling, provide skills training, and extend start-up capital to help them rebuild their lives.
Ms. Jane Adeya, a member of the movement, appeals to the government to ensure all rogue agencies operating without valid documents are closed, as they endanger the lives of gullible Kenyans.
“The government should close them. We are losing our young girls. Most of these incidents happen to our girls,” she said, adding that county governments should also tighten the noose on rogue agencies by leveraging inspectorate officers.
Daureen Kipesa, Secretary General of the Movement, noted that many domestic workers are traumatized upon their return to the country.
Kipesa appeals to parents not to ‘sacrifice’ their children in pursuit of greener pastures abroad and to the government to investigate the rogue agencies, as some parents even sell their parcels of land for their children to get jobs.
“We urge the Cabinet Secretary for Labour to step out of the office and address challenges at the grassroots, where the impact is greatest,” she added.
By Sadik Hassan
